If you are a supervisor or manager, and you have staff reporting directly to you, how do you manage your team effectively and get the best out of them?
If you haven’t reached this level yet, but aspire to do so in the future, what can you learn from the way that leaders within your company manage their staff?
What exactly do you need to be aware of when tasked with managing a team?
Get to know your team. Take the opportunity to talk to your team as frequently as possible and try to find out what motivates them, what their different personalities are, and what communication styles they respond to best.
Let them know when they do a good job. If a member of your team performs well, tell them. This will motivates them and let them know they are doing the right thing and will lead to good performance in the future as well.
Keep comprehensive records. You should keep records of your team’s performance and regularly review their progress at one-to-one meetings. These meetings are a chance for you to deliver feedback to your subordinates and for team members to raise any concerns they may have about the work environment. It may also be appropriate for you, and the employee to discuss targets and goals they can work towards and what they might be able to achieve in the next month, next three months, next year etc. Consider what steps they can take towards these goals.
Encourage them to get involved with a wider range of tasks. If the opportunity exists for your team members to do more than just the regular duties of their role, actively encourage them to get involved. There may be other tasks related to their regular duties that they can get involved with, or there may be a special project coming up. The more different experiences an employee has, the more chance they might have of securing a decent salary increase, or getting promoted.
Let them know when there are potential issues with their performance. Unfortunately, many managers will from time to time have to deliver bad news to their team members and tell an individual that their performance is below expectations. Try to identify any potential issues at an early stage and consider if any changes to the individual’s working environment, and/or any additional training, could help them improve their performance. Try to deliver constructive feedback that will improve the situation. If your initial attempts to improve the situation doesn't work, then you may have to clearly explain to the individual exactly what the company’s expectations of them are, and how they are falling short of these.
Keep them informed. As well as briefing your team on the tasks in hand at any one time, tell them as much as you reasonably can about goings-on in the company. Let them know how their individual contributions help towards the overall success of the organisation.
Set a good example. Remember that if you display bad habits, your team may follow your lead. Ensure you act professionally at all times, adhere to the company dress code and refrain from grumbling about the company within earshot of your team.
Don’t be a dictator. As far as possible, let your team suggest what is the best way to get things done.
Treats and incentives. Give your team little treats and incentives, even if you need to pay for some of this out of your own pocket – after all the chances are you will earn a bit more than your team members. Buying the occasional round of coffee or cakes is usually a safe bet. Consider taking your team out for a meal or social event once in a while, having first asked them what type of social event they might enjoy.